1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to connection means for electronic components, and more particularly is a multiple leg press-fit pin typically used to secure an electronic component to a printed circuit board (PCB).
2. Description of the Prior Art
The manufacture of electronic devices is one of the largest business segments in current day industry. The manufacturing processes used in this area are therefore the subject of much interest in the technology community. The present invention is directed generally to the area of PCB assembly.
Current art usually requires that components be soldered to the board on which the components are to be installed. This connection method is used on the vast majority of electronic components. While soldering is the tried and true method of connection for electronic components, the method is quite time consuming and labor intensive, thereby adding to the cost of the finished board.
One alternative method of connection of the components to the board is a press-fit connector. One type of current art press-fit connector is a connector that comprises inner and outer shells. This current art connector is usually formed with a teardrop shape, so that the connector utilizes a teardrop-within-a-teardrop construction. When the teardrop-within-a-teardrop connecter of the electronic component is inserted into the board, the outer teardrop is crushed into connection with the inner teardrop. The connector retains sufficient diameter so that the component is secured on the board. One major limitation of this connector means is that the component cannot be placed on the board and then removed. The connector is a xe2x80x9cone timexe2x80x9d connector only.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a means for connecting an electronic component to a PCB.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a connection means that is press-fit into the PCB.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a connection means that is easily removable from the board, with the connector being reusable.
The present invention is a self-centering press-fit pin used to secure components, e.g. electronic components and shielding, to a printed circuit board (PCB). The device comprises at least one leg that provides an electrical connection point for the electrical component on which the pins are installed. The pin is formed so that the legs act as leaf springs to securely hold the connector in place in the proper installation hole in the board on which the component is installed. The pins are stamped from sheet metal with a progressive die process. By changing the amount of flexion in the legs of the pin, the pressure required to insert the pin into a connection hole can be varied.
An advantage of the present invention is that the pins allow the elimination of soldering to connect a component to a PCB.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the legs of the connector provide a convenient means to connect the component to ground on the board.
A still further advantage of the present invention is that the pins allows an electronic component to be removed and reinserted into a board without modification of the connecting pins.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the description of the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention as described herein and as illustrated in the drawings.